Third Law
by Dragonhulk
Summary: every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, so how will the world react to the actions of the Joker? Fourth in the Inheritance series.
1. Chapter 1

Third Law

Disclamer: As usual I own nobody and nothing. Perhaps this may change some day, but not yet.

Rating: Teen

Summery: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, so how will the world react to the actions of the Joker? Fourth in the Inheritance series.

* * *

Xander sat in his apartment in stunned silence as Giles finished telling him how he had gotten the helmet of Dr. Fate. As far as Xander was concerned something similar was certainly going into this next book.

"Cool origin story Dr. G," said Xander with a grin. "I take it that Cordy also got her whip in this little trip to the underworld?"

"Indeed," said Giles. "I must admit it is almost frightening how quickly she has taken to it."

"I have some ideas on that, but nothing I care to share until I talk to Cordy," said Xander as he thought of the woman his dad knew that was connected to cats and enjoyed whips. If Cordy started dressing in leather he may have to start patrolling the jewelry stores as well as the graveyards every night.

"Speaking of sharing, do you mind telling just how you were able to afford this?" asked Giles as he waved his hands to indicate the small, but well maintained apartment.

"I was able to afford it with the money my publisher gave me for my book. One good thing about the Hellmouth is that it keeps the rent nice and low, so I was able to pay for three months of rent up front. It's a good thing I did too considering that I probably won't be getting any more money for a while," said Xander.

"Oh, why's that? I had thought you successfully negotiated a fare share of the profits for your book?" asked Giles.

"A book that hasn't come out yet, and if my publisher is to be believed will never come out," grumbled Xander. "It's a book about a costumed superhero, and after our fight against the Joker they didn't like the concept as much as they did originally."

"I'm sorry Xander," said Giles with real concern in his voice. "Did you have any stories in mind that don't involve superheroes?"

"A few," Xander admitted. "It's just that 'Mask of the Tarantula' and the other books in the series were the kind of books my dad always wanted to write but never did. He was already interviewing Superman, writing a book on how it was like to be a superhero during the war would have drawn too much attention."

"Then perhaps it's for the best," said Giles. "After all putting the spotlight on yourself is just as dangerous as it would have been for your father."

"That's why I changed so much in my book," said Xander. "A normal guy instead of a superhuman strong man that works black missions instead of in the public eye. If any character would have made people think I was Superman it would have been my first character idea."

"And what character was that?" asked Giles.

"A kid named Billy Batson who had the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the poser of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury. I also had him transform into an adult every time he used his powers."

"I can certainly see how that was biased off of yourself given your powers and the fact that you have the mind of an adult trapped in the body of a teenager," said Giles with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, I may write it anyway with instructions for it to be published after I die," said Xander. "Said death may not be too far off though if enough people believe what they're showing on the news."

"The Joker killed over two hundred people, and seriously injured over twice that amount, including Bruce Wayne, a man who almost single handedly saw Gotham through its hardest financial times. People are guaranteed to be upset after such an event, and with Joker taken care of we are the ones that will be the target of their pain and sorrow until such time as the people we saved make their voices heard," said Giles.

"I understand it, I just don't like it," said Xander as he ran a hand through his wind blown hair. "Things were so much easier back when the Society was around. People trusted superheroes back then, and even during the hard times we still had each other to lean on."

"You still have friends to lean on," said Giles in a comforting voice.

"I do, and I know the Bat-clan does, but what about the others Giles. Right now Stargirl and Flash may think they're in this alone," said a frustrated Xander.

"We did have to leave rather quickly after the National Guard started shooting at us as we were repairing the damage," said Giles as his own frustration at the situation leaked through.

"Combine the shooting with the fact that I don't believe Stargirl or the Flash is any older than I am, and it only increases the chances of them doing something stupid if they don't have someone they can talk to," said Xander.

"It isn't as if we have contact information for them, we had to leave too quickly," said Giles.

"I have a good idea how to get in touch with Stargirl, and I'm sure I can figure out some way to get a message to Flash. I'm going to contact them, the only question in my mind is if I should contact the others that were there," said Xander.

"As you said the others have people to talk to, and I'm not sure it would be wise for all of us to gather so soon," said Giles.

"I'm not sure we'll have a choice Giles," said Xander. "Including us there are already nine costumed heroes out there. Nine where there hasn't been any for almost fifty years and there may be more we don't know about. Right now my gut is telling me that we can meet now on our own terms, or we can meet later at the next disaster with more blood on our hands because we didn't talk to each other when we had time."

"Your right of course," said Giles. "Contact the others; it is time for old societies to be reformed."


	2. Reforging a Team

"Thank you all for coming," said Xander as he looked at the heroes gathered in his fathers' fortress.

"Not like we had much of a choice," grumbled Stargirl.

"Okay, so I was a bit heavy handed with you, sorry about that," said Xander with a sheepish look on his face.

"You threatened to tell my mom," growled Stargirl.

"I said I was sorry," said Xander.

"Can we please get back on track here children?" asked Batman.

"Okay, I'll get to the point, I think we need to reform the Society," said Xander. This announcement received several cries that questioned his sanity, but Xander didn't mind, he had expected that reaction.

"Explain. Now," rumbled Batman after the room had quieted.

"I think the Joker was just the beginning," said Xander. "Don't ask me why but the events of the last few months seem just too similar to when the original heroes first appeared for me to ignore."

"Do you have facts to support your theory?" asked Wonder Woman.

"Not really," said Xander with a shrug.

"Then I don't see why we are wasting our time here," said Batman as he started to get up.

"No, we're not," said Giles, in the guise of Dr. Fate. "I believe we have all felt the same feeling as Superman here to some extent."

"Feelings are hardly enough to base a decision like this on," said Batman.

"Then lets look at how we all met," said Xander as he thought of some ground to help convince the others this was a good idea. "Nine costumed heroes, coming together after all this time. What are the chances of that?"

"This was a special situation," said Wonder Woman. "It was obvious that the person wielding the power of the Green Lantern had ill intent. The world was in danger and we came together to save it. Now, however, it is no longer in peril, so we no longer have to associate with each other, simple as that."

"If there is one thing I've learned through experience and my fathers' memories, it's that the world is always in danger of being destroyed," said Xander in an almost haunted tone. "The only thing that was different about Gotham was that it was public, and right now my gut is telling me that all the dangers that the world likes to ignore are going to become much more public."

"And you think reforming the Justice Society of America will stop it from happening?" asked Flash.

"No, I think reforming something similar to the JSA will let us do better when the situations arise," said Xander. "Two hundred and twelve people died, and four hundred seventy five were seriously injured. I don't know about you, but I think that number would have been significantly lower if we had been used to working together as a team, and if we had a system in place to alert all of us when something like this happens."

"This is no longer the second world war. If individuals with powers like ourselves swear allegiance to any one country there will be immediate reprisals," said Wonder Woman.

"So we don't swear to serve only one country," said Xander with a shrug. "It's a big world out there, and I'm sure that there will be super powered individuals from other countries that may want to join later on."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked the Flash. "All that may do is unite the world against us."

"If that happens, I will be the first one to officially dissolve the team," said Xander.

"And unofficially?" asked Batman.

"Unofficially, we would meet once or twice a month to talk to each other to make sure everything is going okay," said Xander with a shrug.

"To what end?" asked Wonder Woman.

"To make sure none of us go off the deep end," said Xander in a serious tone. "We are in a line of work that produces more stress than any other job on the planet. I have all of my fathers memories, and I know how much easer things were once he could talk to the people in the Society about the stuff he was facing."

"Your concerned about one of us turning bad or something?" asked Stargirl.

"Not really, but I think the chances of that decrease to zero if we have each other to talk to," said Xander.

"But if one of us goes bad, they would know everything about us, they could kill us," said Flash in a nervous tone.

"This is where the trust comes in," said Xander. "I'll admit it's a risk, but trust always is."

"Never trusted someone with my life before," said Stargirl.

"It isn't that hard when you're trusting good people," said Giles.

"Listen, I know this is hard, but you should know I wouldn't ask you to do something I wouldn't be willing to do first, so let me start. I have three names: Jo-El, son of Kal-El, Joel Kent, and Alexander Harris. But you guys can just call me Xander when we're alone in here."

"Why all the names?" asked the Flash.

"The first is my Kryptonion name, a way to honor my fathers' world. The second name is the name my parents decided they would use for the every day world, and it's just my Kryptonion name mashed together. Alexander Harris is the name the people that raised me gave me after my parents died," said Xander in a sad tone as he thought of his parents deaths.

"I'd like to ask how you're still so young if you're Superman's kid, but I think it's my turn," said the Flash as he removed his stylized motorcycle helmet. "My name is Bart Allen. Running fast is common in my family, but I can outrun both my parents."

"Courtney Whitmore," said Stargirl. "I figured out that an old guy my mom was forcing me to look over was Starman back in the Second World War. Apparently that impressed him enough to give me his rod when the Joker attacked Gotham."

"Bruce Wayne Jr." said Batman in a tone that said he wasn't going to say anything more.

"Stephanie," said Wonder Woman in a similar tone.

"Rupert Giles," said Giles as he took off the helmet of Fate. "I have the unfortunate luck to be the Librarian at the school Xander attends. If his head gets too big I will happily share embarrassing stories from a time before his powers manifested."

"Ignore the man behind the helmet, there are no stories," said Xander in an overly worried tone.

"Okay we're all introduced as friends, now what?" asked Batman.


	3. Hello World

Clark Olson, Editor in Chief of the Daily Planet, suppressed a growl that would have made his 'uncle Perry' proud as he looked over the reports once again. The Daily Planet had been around for almost one hundred years, but if he couldn't figure something out she wouldn't see the end of the century.

"Blasted internet," muttered Clark, for the hundredth time that day. The Planet had just gotten out of debt from the fire when that infernal device had started to cut into the sales.

"Come on Clark, think," said Clark, as he rubbed his head. "You need something to put the Planet back on the map, something really big that no one else has yet."

This time the growl escaped his lips as he got ready to call a meeting with his best reporters. Two months as the EIC and he had to demand that they bring him a big story or he would have to start making some serious cutbacks.

His hand was on the intercom button when he heard the tapping, and for a moment his mind went blank. He was on the forty second floor, so only birds and window washers could tap on his windows, but the washer came yesterday and birds didn't know 'Shave and a Haircut.'

Turning around, Clark James Olson, son of the famous photographer James Olson, saw a dream come to life in the from of a flying man. He was younger than the photographs his dad had taken, but the large red S on the mans chest left little doubt as to the identity of the flying stranger.

"Superman," whispered Clark.

The young man outside his window simply smiled and nodded as if he had heard Clark's whisper. As soon as Clark regained enough sense to walk over towards the window, Superman pointed up, and flew away.

You didn't get to be the Editor in Chief of a paper like the Daily Planet unless you were an excellent reporter first, and Clark Olson had been the best reporter since his namesake. Grabbing the small camera his father had taught him to keep in his desk, and making sure he had a pad of paper and a pencil in his jacket, Clark sprinted through the bullpen towards the stairs as fast as his aging muscles could carry him.

When Clark reached the roof he found the flying man in the Superman costume hovering by the globe with a lopsided grin on his face. It was a great picture, so Clark took a quick shot before walking over to the hovering man.

"You got up here faster than I thought," said Superman.

"I may not be faster than a speeding bullet, but I'm a newsman and we can move fast enough if there's a big story involved," said Clark as he pulled out the pencil and paper. "Now I'm assuming you aren't a complete idiot and you knew that you would be interviewed as soon as you tapped on my window, so lets get started. Why are you impersonating Superman?"

"Impersonating?" asked the hovering figure in apparent shock.

"Until I have more information, yes, impersonating. Your costume is almost exactly like the one he wore but you're wearing red gloves and don't have the red underpants showing. Also you're about half a foot too short and have brown eyes instead of blue. So once again, why are you impersonating Superman?" asked Clark.

"Persistent, aren't you?" said the man with the ageless face. "To answer your question, I'm not impersonating anyone. The previous Superman was my father, and I'm carrying on his legacy."

"Why now?" asked Clark as he furiously wrote on the pad of paper. "Why have you waited so long before revealing yourself to the public? Does this have anything to do with what happened in Gotham?"

"Why now? Because I've only recently learned about my heritage. Why didn't I go public before this? There is still a law that says that people with powers like I have are to be arrested or shot on sight," said Superman. "I would have been happy working in secret, but after Gotham I don't think that is possible anymore."

"Exactly what would you be working against in secret?" asked Clark with narrowed eyes.

"Nightmares," said Superman with a tired grin. "Stuff that I hope you never have to deal with, but this isn't why I came to you. I need you to call a press conference to be held in front of the Planet in two days at four in the afternoon. I figured this exclusive was a good payment."

"I'll need another one after the conference," said Clark as he thanked whatever lucky star he had been born under.

"Okay, but it may not be with me," said Superman with that same half smile. "I don't speak for the team, so one of them may want to tell their side of the story."

"Others?" asked Clark.

"Just challenge the other members of the press to come to the conference and you'll get to meet them with everyone else," said Superman as he flew away.

* * *

Xander sighed in relief as he flew away from Metropolis. He had relied heavily on his fathers' memories to sound more like an adult, but Clark had probably been suspicious about the age when he mentioned the height difference.

Still that had gone better than it had any right to, and by the way Clark was yelling at his bullpen to get moving the press conference would take place soon enough.

* * *

Two days later, the lobby of the Daily Planet was packed with every member of the press it could hold, and none of them were happy. Half the people there thought that the whole thing was a scam to keep the Planet in business, while the other half were almost foaming at the mouth because they had been scooped on the biggest story in the last fifty years.

The front page article, Heir of Tomorrow by Clark Olson, had single handedly shot the sales through the roof, and the Daily Planet was once again a household name. The frenzy didn't end there though, the next day the Planet had pulled up every fact they could about the old heroes and gave the world a refresher course about the true history of the Second World War while all the other news outlets were debating whether or not the whole thing was a hoax or not.

As the minutes ticked by the group became more and more agitated. Conferences were supposed to be held on neutral ground, but holding it here had assured that the Daily Planet would get the best pictures and be the first seen when questions were going to be asked.

As the clock struck four there was a whoosh of air, and suddenly a man was standing where no one had been before. There was no doubt it was the same man that had been photographed two days ago, and for a moment a room full of hardened reporters couldn't think of anything to say.

"Thanks for meeting me," said the man. "Now before we get to the Q and A session I have some introductions to make."

As soon as the man stopped speaking the air behind him began to twist and turn, opening a portal from which four figures emerged. "Allow me to introduce Wonder Woman, the Flash, Stargirl, and Dr. Fate. We were all there during the events that took place in Gotham, and it wouldn't have ended as well if we hadn't worked together."

"Exactly what did happen in Gotham? Government officials haven't said that much about what happened other than it was a part of some kind of terrorist attack," said a woman that was with the Gotham Gazette.

"A very dangerous man got a hold of a weapon of undetermined strength. We are currently working to find who provided the weapon to see that he or she is brought to the proper authorities," said Fate in an echoing voice.

"Do you plan to form a new team?" asked the representative from the New York Times.

"You bet," said a smiling Stargirl. "People died in Gotham because we didn't know about each other, I don't want that to happen again."

"Just how old are all of you?" asked the reporter from CNN.

"Old enough," said the Flash. "Would it be better if we were a bit older and had more experience? No question about it, the answer is yes, but sometimes life can't be better. We were the only ones that stood a chance to stop what was happening in Gotham so for better or worse we had to step up and risk our lives to protect people that couldn't protect themselves at the moment. After all isn't that what heroes are supposed to do?"

"Do you plan on helping America in any of its future war efforts?" asked an unidentified person.

"No," said Wonder Woman. "We plan to take no sides in any of the upcoming conflicts between any country, unless it is to prevent nuclear weapons from being launched."

This caused the conference to erupt with questions and wild accusations. People who were potentially more powerful than most customary weapons said that they wouldn't be working for any one country; it was perhaps the most frightening thing many people in that room had ever heard.

"Listen, I have my fathers' memories, including those of World War Two. I remember what it was like when the atomic bombs were dropped. After the Second World War, the ideals got a bit murky. One of the reasons the Justice Society of America was disbanded was because they wouldn't fight in Korea simply because some people overseas wanted a different kind of government," said Superman.

"Also not all of us are citizens of the United States," said Wonder Woman.

"If you don't hold allegiance to any country, what assurance do we have that you won't take over?" asked another reporter.

"We're only five people. If every country in the world decided to come together and fight us, we wouldn't stand a chance. But I honestly hope it doesn't come to that. We aren't here to take over, we're here to protect this world from threats people, and countries aren't capable of fighting these threats at this time," said Superman.

"Are all of you single?" asked a reporter for one of the tabloids.

"That's a bit off track from what we should be talking about here, so no comment," said Superman.

From there the questions simply continued to get more and more personal, ranging from the reasonable, 'How is your family dealing with your decision to put yourself in danger like this?' To the deeply personal, 'Are any of you gay?' So Superman called an end to the conference, giving the world time to think about just how their world had changed.


	4. More Reactions

Despite what some people would think, Xander loved the quiet. When he was younger, he would often slip away from his parents to a place where he wouldn't have to hear them fight. Now that he was Superman, there wasn't a place on Earth where he couldn't hear people, or other things. That was the reason he loved being in space, no air to create any sound, though today he also had a mission.

Slowing down as he passed Mars, Xander took a moment to gaze in silent wonder at the sight before him. The asteroid belt was constantly moving, forming new patterns every time he blinked, it was breathtaking. That is, it would be breathtaking if he had to breathe when he was absorbing this much solar energy.

Shaking off his amazement, Xander activated his telescopic and x-ray vision. He had a job to do, so he should do it as quickly as he could.

As soon as he found an asteroid that contained the materials he needed, Xander would extract the material he needed using his heat vision and his strength. It was a rough process, but he wasn't worried about precision just yet.

As soon as he got all the material he needed gathered in one spot, Xander began to use his powers to shape it into the parts he needed. The process wasn't difficult as it was time consuming, because when he combined materials to make something sturdier he had to constantly keep it warm with his heat vision so it wouldn't cool too quickly and ruin the process.

As the hours passed, Xander could see a marked improvement from where he had started. It would take a few days, even using super speed, but by the end the team would have all the parts to build a base on the moon, without Wayne Co. doing anything more than providing the blueprints.

Until it was completed Xander was going to simply enjoy the quiet, and perhaps start thinking about what he could do for his next book. His publishers didn't want superheroes, so perhaps something mythological involving Morpheus in the modern day world.

Yeah, his publishers would probably enjoy a story about 'The King of Dreams.' He could even use some of the more rare books in the library for inspiration; Edward's Guide to the Endless would probably be a good starting place.

* * *

"How are you fairing, my daughter?" asked Princess Diana through a magical mirror that hung on an otherwise barren wall.

"Well enough mother," said the blond amazon.

"Tell me daughter, what have you been up to since you have entered man's world?" asked Diana.

"Not much has happened after the defeat of the Joker, other than the formation of the team," said Stephanie.

"You must have done more than that. What sights have you seen? What kind of people have you met?" pressed the princess.

"I'm afraid I don't understand. I am the Wonder Woman, like you were, and the Queen before you. My job is to protect this world, and to spread our beliefs, not to go sightseeing."

"You are the Wonder Woman, but that isn't all you are. If you allow your life to only consist only of fighting and preaching, it shall soon become a flat, meaningless thing. The world of man is filled with many things, allow yourself to explore them and see if you enjoy any of them," said the princess with the patience of a mother.

"Is that an order, my princess?" asked Stephanie with a slight smile on her face.

"Always the soldier awaiting orders," said Diana with a grin. "Very well, I order you to go out and find something about this world that you enjoy."

"As you wish my princess," said Stephanie as her mothers' image faded from the mirror.

* * *

"What is the meaning of this!" screamed Bartholomew 'Barry' Henry Allen as he threw his son's costume to the ground.

"It's just what it looks like dad," said Bart.

"Bart, do you have any idea how dangerous this is?" asked his mother, Jesse Chambers-Allen.

"I saw what the Joker did to those people, so yeah I do!" shouted Bart. "What was I supposed to do, let them die? Maybe I'm supposed to use my powers to run a business like you, or get work in the lab done quickly like Dad? I'm faster than both of you; according to your diary, I was conceived at the speed of light. I'm not going to stand still when someone is in trouble and I can help, I wasn't built like that!"

"Listen son, I know you can't stand by, and I don't want you to feel like you have to. Your mother and I have used our powers to save lives in the past, but putting on a costume like this is about as smart as putting a target over your heart. If you want to help people fine, just don't draw attention to yourself," pleaded Barry.

"If I do that, I won't be able to save as many people as I could in the costume," said Bart. "The costume was good enough for Grandma and Grandpa Chambers, so why not me?"

"Your grandparents were just two unnoticed superheroes during World War Two, Bart," said Jesse. "Sure they helped where they could, but they knew their limits and didn't even attempt to join the JSA. From what you've told us about the new team, they plan to take on problems not even the JSA would tackle, and we're worried for you."

"I understand Mom, but I got to do this," said Bart.

"Then we'll help," said Barry. "I don't think either your mother or I will be putting on a costume, but we'll help you however we can."

"You mean it?" asked Bart.

"Yes, but if your grades start to fall, we'll stop this, even if we have to chain ourselves to you to make sure you don't leave when we blink," said Barry.

"Thanks Dad," said Bart as he started to go to his room.

"Just one more thing son," said Barry. "Why are you calling yourself the Flash instead of using your grandpa's old name?"

"I read your journal too, Dad," said Bart with a grin. "Before you met Mom on your run, you planned to become the Flash. Grandpa Johnny was cool, but somehow it just feels right calling myself the Flash."

"More like Kid Flash, you're only sixteen after all," said Barry.

"So? Superman's only seventeen and he isn't calling himself something stupid like Superboy," said Bart as he went into his room.

"Are we really going to let him do this?" asked Jesse as soon as she heard the door close.

"I don't see that we have a choice," said Barry in a grim tone. "He's going to do this if we want him to or not, and we can't really stop him with his powers."

"We're not exactly slow ourselves," said Jesse, referring to their super speed.

"Yeah, but he's faster. He could circle this world twice before either of us reached the east coast, and what's worse is that he knows it," said Barry.

"I just don't want anything to happen to him," said Jesse.

"Neither do I," said Barry as he took his wife in his arms. "That's why we're going to help him, to make sure he never has to do this alone."

* * *

Courtney Whitmore tried to hide her smile as she heard the most popular boy in school say how hot he thought Stargirl was. Maybe this superhero deal would be fun after all.

* * *

Rupert Giles stifled a groan as he came out of the trance. A body wasn't supposed to stay in the position he had placed himself in for hours, and now his body was making him painfully aware of that fact. Sighing Giles reached towards the golden helmet of Dr. Fate, so that he could once again communicate with the being that dwelt within.

"Hello Rupert," said Nabu.

"Hello Nabu, I'm sorry to say that there still is no trace of the amulet," said Giles.

"It is as expected, and honestly a bit of a relief. You are not as powerful as others, and if your spells had located the amulet it would mean the amulet was very close to the Hellmouth," said Nabu.

"Yes, it's a bit of a mixed blessing isn't it? If the amulet containing your powers is away from the Hellmouth the world is more likely to see another day, however without your powers it is much more difficult to save said world," said Giles.

"The irony is not lost on me," said Nabu with a rueful grin.

"Don't worry too much, I don't believe you were fated to be apart from your powers for a great length of time," said Giles.

"I believe that you have been spending too much time with young Alexander, his sense of humor is rubbing off on you," said Nabu in response to the pun.

"Sorry, hazard of the job. I just wish it was the only hazard," said Giles.

"What is troubling you my friend?" asked Nabu.

"Half of this new society of superheroes are children Nabu. It was difficult enough knowing I would be around to watch one young girl die a horrible death, but to have that number increase to seven? I'm not sure I'm strong enough to watch as it happens," said Giles.

"My dear friend, you aren't simply watching, you are fighting with them. Yes, they are young, but you have put yourself into the position where you will be able to defend them to the best of our abilities," said Nabu in a comforting voice.

"But will it be enough?" asked Giles.

"That is something not even I know," said Nabu.

* * *

"Are you a part of this?" asked Detective Jessica Grayson as she pointed to yet another report about the newly formed superhero team.

"Not officially, but yeah," said Cassandra as she started to put on her Batgirl uniform.

"You going to fight more things like the Joker?" asked Jessica in the same flat tone.

"Someone has to," said Cassandra.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed Cassie?" asked Jessica. "Dressing up like a bat is what got your grandparents killed, and things just got a whole lot more dangerous."

"Yeah, well according to the records I found at city hall, being a cop is what got your grandpa Gordon killed, so we're even," said Cassandra before she jumped into the darkening city.

"Damn you Bruce, for bringing my daughter into your world," said Jessica. "And Damn your father for starting the whole thing in the first place."

* * *

Damien couldn't help the smirk that crept onto his face as he entered the Sunnydale hospital. It had taken some time, but he was finally going to give Summers what she deserved.

As he walked down the halls he remembered how she had rejected him, and then nearly broke his arm when he tried to press the issue. No one did that to Damien, no one.

It had taken a few other girls to work up his courage, and he had to get a bit rough with the last one, but he was ready now. It was the perfect time too; the whole school knew she was out with some kind of flu, so the doctors would make sure she wasn't taking any steroids to enhance her strength.

He was in her room, getting ready, when he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. Turning around Damien saw a freaky kid in a dark green cloak, with a face that was as pale as death.

"Your last victim just died due to the injuries you inflicted on her Damien," said the kid in a cold, unearthly voice. "Her soul is crying out for vengeance, Damien."

Suddenly, Damien recognized the face, but before he could do anything, two powerful hands grabbed his shirt and the cold voice said, "I remember you from before Damien, so I'm all too happy to deliver the vengeance you deserve."

And then, Damien was in Hell.

* * *

Buffy opened her drowsy eyes at the commotion in her room, and saw a figure in a green cloak standing in her room. For some reason she wasn't afraid, in fact she felt she knew the figure leaving her room.

"Do'n go," rasped Buffy. "I know you, right?"

The figure stopped and turned to her, but his face hidden by his green hood. Then in a cold, distant, but familiar voice he said, "Perhaps in another lifetime, but now I am simply a specter of your past."

When Buffy was once again able to open her eyes, the ghostly manifestation was gone.


	5. Home Away From Home

"Welcome to the Watchtower everyone," said Xander as the forms of Batman, Wonder Woman, Dr. Fate, Stargirl, and the Flash solidified on the transporter pad.

"I don't feel so good," said a green looking Stargirl.

"A common side-effect of transportation, you get used to it after a while," said Giles as he removed the helmet of Dr. Fate.

"This place is awesome!" said an excited Flash as he ran from one piece of equipment to another.

"It's big too," said Xander with a smile. "Forty seven stories up, and twenty stories down. This place has everything from an outer layer of Kryptonian crystals providing power to this place, to a computer system that would make every geek on Earth drown in their own drool."

"You built all this in a week?" asked Wonder Woman.

"More like five and a half days," said Xander with a shrug. "The rest of the time was just weighting for the crystals to remove any unwanted radiation the materials had soaked up from being in space for so long."

"You said these crystals were Kryptonian?" asked Batman as he ran a gloved hand across a crystal window.

"Yep something my grandfather sent with my dad when Krypton was dieing," said Xander. "This was incase my father didn't reach Earth, but crashed somewhere like Mars. They feed off of solar radiation even better than Kryptonian cells and redirect that energy anywhere we want it, so they're a great power source as well as protection from any harmful radiation."

"I must admit, this is a bit more than what I had expected," said Giles as he looked around in wonder. "Just why did you build something so large when there are only nine of us?"

"Thought it would be good to have room for expansion," said Xander. "The top five stories are housing for the team for when we need to crash here. The next two stories are for visitors spending the night, and after that we have free space until we get to the fifth floor where the meeting room will be. The third and fourth stories are hanger bays, and the second story is a fully stocked training room."

"What about the lower levels, they seem really fortified," said Flash as he returned from scouting the entire watchtower at super speed.

"The bottom ten levels are a vault where we can store items that are too dangerous to immediately destroy," said Xander.

"Do you really expect to run into something like that?" asked Stargirl.

"The previous JSA did," said Giles. "I believe that the different members of the JSA took turns storing them at their individual bases of operation."

"Yeah, but ten stories worth?" asked the Flash.

"What can I say, I built this to last," said Xander. "Chances are none of us will see the vault fill up, or even get close, but that just means there will be room for those that come after us."

Before anyone could ask more questions the transporter pads activated and six more people appeared. Three of the people everyone already in the room knew, but only Xander and Giles knew the last three.

"Who are you?" Robin said to the short blond that appeared by his side.

"I'm Buffy, now who are you?" asked Buffy.

"I'm Robin," said the sixteen year old boy in his most intimidating voice.

"Isn't Robyn a girls name?" asked Buffy in complete innocence. Well she thought it was complete innocence, but Xander could just imagine a couple of cartoon devil horns growing out of her head as she tried to antagonize the costumed teenager.

"R-O-B-I-N, like the bird," said Robin through clenched teeth. "Did the bleach kill one too many brain cells last time you did your hair?"

"I think we should put a stop to this," said Giles he got ready to put on the helmet of Dr. Fate.

"I don't," said Xander with a grin. "Bruce the third over there is getting way too arrogant for his own good. If he's like this when he takes over the role of Batman he'll get a lot of innocent people killed before he dies. The problem is he is the product of two generations of excellent fighters, so it's been difficult for his parents to find a way to deflate his ego."

"And nothing deflates a males ego quite like sparing with a Slayer," said Giles with a matching grin on his face.

"That was my thinking. Of course after Gotham, Wonder Woman was a possibility too, but his parents wanted someone who wouldn't pound him into a goo like substance," said Xander as he nodded to where both Batman and Huntress were staying off to one side.

"On the bright side though it seems that Stargirl, Batgirl, and Cordelia are getting along," observed Giles.

"Courtney is a cheerleader while both Cassandra and Cordelia are strong independent women who seem to have similar tastes in fashion," said Xander as he tried not to stare at the two dark clad beauties.

"Yet another reason to try to find out exactly what Ms Kyle and Bast said to her during our time in the underworld," said Giles. "Though I think we may have a problem getting Willow away from the computer system."

"Good idea. Uh-oh, looks like the boy is about to throw the first punch," said Xander just before Robin tried to show Buffy that he was the better fighter.

"You were right, the child is an exceptional fighter, he almost connected on his first try," said Giles right before Buffy threw Robin across the room.

"Oh look, he still thinks he has a shot of wining," said Xander as Robin got up and approached the Slayer in a full combat stance. "Maybe I should move this to the training room so nothing gets damaged."

"Sounds like a good idea," said Giles right before he found himself in the training room along with everyone else. "Did you just move everyone here while we blinked?"

"Bart helped," said Xander with a nod to the blond young man that was now standing alongside Giles and Xander.

"So who was the one that moved the young ladies?" asked Giles as he looked at the trio of teenage girls.

"I did," said Bart. "Xander said something about survival instincts and wouldn't touch them so I brought them up."

"My exact words were, 'I have developed enough survival instincts in this area, so I'm not even going to touch them,'" said Xander. "I planned to just leave them a note, that way they could follow if they wanted. I figured that was the best way to avoid three very angry women."

"Why would they be angry?" asked Bart as he glanced towards the source of the triple death glares he was receiving.

"Because you took away their choice," said Giles. "Always allow a woman to retain the ability to choose. This applies to the big things like choosing a career to the small things like choosing her meal when you are together on a date."

"So by moving them instead of letting them decide if they wanted to come or not…"

"You condemned yourself to at least a week worth of death glares," said Xander as Robin rushed Buffy in a fit of frustration.

"Crap," said Bart as he began to squirm under the anger filled stares he was receiving.

"Better you than us my boy," said Giles as Robin launched a flurry of attacks that Buffy easily blocked.

"You know this is starting to feel just like old times," said Xander as Buffy knocked out Robin with a single punch to the face. It wasn't hard for Xander to liken this sparing session to the ones Batman and Wonder Woman had engaged in back in the 1940's. Of course those lasted a bit longer because while the third Bruce Wayne had the moves, he didn't come close to having the drive of his grandfather.

All in all the meeting had gone just how Xander had planned. Bird Boy had been humbled, and everyone was acting more like a family than a group of people they had to work with to save lives. If this kept up maybe they had a shot of saving the world when the need arose, maybe.

THE END

Authors End Note: Okay people I need your help! I have no idea what the next story should be about, or any other stories in this series. If you have any plots you would like to see me do tell me so my muse will get a jump start, this also goes for any DC characters you would like to see in this series.

If push comes to shove I think I have enough in me to write an ending story that wraps everything up, but I don't want to write it unless I have to. So please let me know that you enjoy my series by giving me as much constructive feedback as you can now that I really need it.

Thank you for reading.


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